Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Keatings back on high for Hibs
JAMES Keatings reflected on the highs and lows of football after his sensational winner for Hibs against Falkirk.
The 25-year-old came off the bench and curled a wonderful shot into the top corner in the second minute of injury-time to earn Hibs a 2-1 victory at Easter Road and extend their lead at the top of the Ladbrokes Championship to 10 points.
Keatings had set up Efe Ambrose’s headed opener in the 75th minute but then failed to track Craig Sibbald as the Falkirk midfielder headed an equaliser from a corner two minutes later.
Keatings said: “When I got the assist I got a little bit of confidence and then I go and lose my marker at the corner.
“I put my head down and then at the end it just shows you what football is like, it’s up and down, up and down, and I managed to grab the winner. It’s a massive result for us.”
The winner was redemption for Keatings in another way — he had missed a spot-kick in a 2-2 draw with Dumbarton the previous weekend.
“My confidence took a knock l ast week when I missed the penalty,” the former Hearts striker said.
“I sat in the car with my dad on the way home and I don’t think I said more than three words. I just said it was probably the worst game I’d played for Hibs.
“This week I’ m going home after scoring t he winner. It just shows what football is like. You need to keep your head up and keep believing in yourself and your team-mates.”
Keatings added: “There’s not many I score with my right foot. I got the ball a few times on the left, the one beforehand they doubled up on me and I could hear them both shouting ‘He’s all left foot, he’s all left foot’.
“I had that in my mind when I got the ball the next time on my right. My only thought was to go for it. I had t o, with not many minutes l eft to go, and luckily enough I put it in the back of the net.”